Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace will modernize Skjold-type corvet fighting system

The Norwegians, instead of withdrawing Skjold-type corvettes, consistently enhance their combat abilities. Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace signed a contract to further upgrade the fighting system of these units.

The value of the contract is estimated at around 400 million Norwegian koruna. This is the next stage of the programme launched in 2022, which aims to improve the efficiency and maintain the full combat readiness of these units in the coming years.

We continue to cooperate with the Norwegian Defence Procurement Agency to maintain and strengthen operational capabilities and the readiness of Skjold units.

Kjetil Reiten Myhra, Vice President of Defence Systems at Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace

Continuation of the 2022 programme

The current contract is a development of an earlier contract for the modernisation of the combat system. Instead of radical reconstruction, they chose to consistently increase their capabilities by updating the software, integrating new components and improving the reliability of systems.

Both parties’ communications show that modernisation will include increased precision of operation, improved detection capacity and longer interservice periods. In other words, it is not only about expanding combat capabilities, it is about making ships operational.

As our editorial team has determined, modernized Skjold corvettes will receive a combat system very similar to the solution used on Fridtjof Nansen frigates. This information was confirmed by a Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace representative in an interview with the editor.

This approach is part of the wider strategy of the Nordic countries to modernise instead of premature withdrawal of units.

Six fastest units in their class

The Royal Norwegian Navy has six Skjold-type corvettes. These units are among the fastest warships in the world, resulting from their specific design using airbags and light hulls.

The project was designed to take action in coastal waters and in conditions of strong saturation of enemy fire. High speed, low detection and strong missile weapons make them a tool for rapid, precise strokes and asymmetric actions in areas with limited maneuver space.

Changes made combat system to ensure that these assets are not merely a historical technical curiosity, but will remain a real deterrent in northern Europe.

Maintaining capability instead of ‘revolution’„

It is worth noting that Norway does not inform about the construction of the successor of Skjold units. Instead, he invests in maintaining his combat value. Under increasing tensions in the Arctic and the North Atlantic, the decision to extend the life cycle of specialised impact units seems pragmatic.

Modernisation of the fighting system is not cosmetic today, but a key element in maintaining an informational advantage and reducing response time. In the era of sensors, networkocentricity and precise effectors, it is the software and system integration that determine the real combat value of the unit.

In the realities of northern Europe, where short distances, advanced missile systems and high dynamics of action play a key role, maintaining high-speed impact units may be more rational than building their successors. The Norwegians are clearly betting on evolution today, not revolution.